The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1887-11-03
Saucy Girls Who Sell Tr,nicts and Speak
american NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., +. P.,"
and tho Ignorance of Certain Tourists,
Some General Art Talk.

eNAS AiSANA
mans unsated gluttony Of empire, of his
hmltless selfishness, of his cold blooled am
bltlon, and looked back to tho cruel
day on which he told Josephno that
he must, for reasons of stato. set
her aside and put another in bor
place. it did my soul good to feel that Water
loo was Synonymous with disaster md dofoot
and that Napoleon was the lartv who hod
been W aterloocd. That's about all sa,y in
tho battlefield, and the fate of nations md
dynastles and the rise and fall of c,nniros
We're al obscured by this glorious yindication
OF an abused wife, and was about to rather
my sklras about me and jump ND and boorov
"hcn ID key restrained my impctuosity by n
ioad scream ut snake in the grass, and VIC
both went over the ditch into tho rnod IN ,
state of panic.
waterloo being good quiet place, have
chosen it as point to sit down at or on for
the purpose of collating what may bnvo to
say in this letter.
IL IS Ten miles or so from Brussels, and is
Ill inc midst OF a country much like blue
grass kentucky Ill appearance, but without
INC thfcc cardinal virtues OF that section. to
WI pfctly women, good whisky and fine
HORSES. kho" from personal observation
'hat the hrs5 and last arc not present. and
long hmbcd kentuckian from Paris
(rrancel informs mo that the total absence of
the second is ono OF tic most painful expert
ences he over underwent 80 far from home
and never while at homo.
have discovered that there are three kinds
OF English spoken in Europe, namely: Brit
lsh English besN, American English mic
turesque), Continental English more or less
broken; and at Waterloo think 7 have
found the nearest to American English of
any have heard. 1t is spoken by tho Girls
who sell trinkets, relics, etc, on the field. and
was first appraised of it when offered girl
a half franc for picture she wanted two
francs for. l thought, of course, she would
DO tho regular thing, and begin to hedge and
cut the figures; but she didn't On the con-
trary, she looked at me roguishly, and with n
Keen little smile she replied:
Ai, lady, you've got no green in YOUR
eye '0O'
A little party had gathered by this time.
all bareheaded ard rosy checked, and when /
started away there was chorus of Eta. tau
Come again" "See you later" and other
Amerlcanisms, which, l learned afterward.
the girls had picked up in various firtations
with spry young men from Uncle Sans DO
minions. 1t is about the only place where I
nave heard any slang, too, and this reminds
me That L have not heard a profane oath
since l have been on the Continent. except
by some one who has had previous training
IN America, and am really ashamed to ac-
knowledge it. The profanity and slang
winch Vltlate our language constitute one of
the chief clements distinguishing American
English from the other varieties have men
toned elsewhere in this letter.
Tho ofb do,
across another one of our representative
Americans abroad. 1t was really two. but
MS they were married suppose it is all RIGHT
to say one. They had apparently lust landed
ms Antwerp is quite place for continental
'a'"icrs, and they were in the cathedral Sec
!::G what was to be seen for tho mark they
hal paid at the door
Ny! N.Y. said she, stopping before Ru-
bens' masterpiece, Tho Descent from the
Cross. " this must be q fine one, it's 30 aw-
full Big
YES, guess it IS" replied tho husband.
picking his way through new guido book
as red as Kentucky politicians nose.
''Whosc is it, said She
''The book says it's Rubens', but don't sec
any name on the picture," he said with some
uncertainty.
''Did you say It was Rubcns' 7" she asked.
after moments further investigation.
That's what tho book says" said he.
cts rather indefinite" she said 'Rubcn
who? What's his last namc!'
''Glvc it up" said the man. CAN tho book
says is that it is Rubcns, and l suppose that.
oil the name he had, like Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John and lot moro Of those old
nncients," and thon they went on around the
cathedral comprehending what they could
end guessing at tho rest
Another one not quite so bad grew out Of
this Same painters name, but in this case tho
particeps criminis, SO to speak, were men,
They were before portrait
"Who's it byi" asked tho ono that didn't
havo guido book
'Rubens, p p" read the other from tho
book
Eyes, I've heard of him. but what's the p.
p for?' questioned the first one
"Well, amt much up in art abbrevia-
tions," replied the other, "but taking 1t by
and large, 1 should say p p stood for Por-
trait Painter"
''And yet there arc those who wonder why
art hasn't greater development in America,
why every city in the country hasn't gal
lcry in which copies ut least Of the greatest
pictures and greatest sculptures of the great
masters may be seen and studied" said
to Dickey when had read her what had
written.
every truc,' said she; land while you AFRO
about it, you might Us well add to that last
story an explanation to the effect that p p
stands for Peter Paul, the artists name, lest
some other American be led astray"
But scorn the insinuation, and leave the
story just as it is.
There's a good deal of art in Belgium, and
Rubens fourishes in all galleries like green
bay hoss but don't like Rubens. He paints
nude figures by the score, and you are always
undecided whether his flesh tints arc suffer
ing with the scarlet fever or have simply been
dropped for minute into boiling water, while
his women have figures that ought to make
Venus get down off of canvas, and go
into smuggling match with Sullivan. In
Brussels l went to the Wiertz gallery, the
finest collection Of allegorical torpid livers in
the world. Wiertz, imagine, was born bill
ious, and he never got over it. He depicts
murders and suicides, and people in collins.
and visions after tlccapitation, and all man.
ncr OF horrid things and to make them more